"Janbandhan Locked And Loaded": Congress After Akhilesh Yadav Joins Yatra

The INDIA "janbandhan" is locked and loaded, ready to dispel the "darkness of the anyay kaal", the Congress said on Sunday after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav joined Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Agra.

The coming together of Gandhi and Yadav put days of uncertainty on the latter's participation in the yatra to an end and came as a boost to the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), which has sealed key seat-sharing deals of late.

The AAP and the Congress on Saturday sealed a seat-sharing deal for Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, Gujarat, Goa and Haryana but decided to contest separately in Punjab, considering the "special circumstances" in the state.

With this, the Congress finalised its seat adjustments for 125 constituencies with INDIA bloc constituents, after recently striking an arrangement with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh.

However, challenges still remain as the INDIA bloc has to work out seat-sharing deals in the key states of West Bengal and Maharashtra.

In a post on X, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Massive, enthusiastic, and energised crowds gathered in Agra to welcome Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Akhileh Yadav. The leaders garlanded the statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar before taking out a historic roadshow through the heart of Agra."

"The INDIA janbandhan is locked and loaded, ready to dispel the darkness of the anyay kaal," Mr Ramesh said.

In another post, the Congress leader said the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has completed its journey through Uttar Pradesh (UP), that lasted eight days.

The journey started in Chandauli and passed through the Varanasi, Bhadohi, Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Amethi, Raebareli, Lucknow, Unnao, Kanpur, Moradabad, Amroha, Sambhal, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras and the Agra districts, he said.

"Undoubtedly, the high point was Akhikesh Yadav's participation in Agra this afternoon," Mr Ramesh said.

"The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has not only galvanised the party organisation in UP but also given new hope to all sections of UP society, especially the youth. Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of paper leaks for four consecutive days and the impact of his speeches was felt on the morning of February 24 when the Yogi (Adityanath) government announced the cancellation of the examination held earlier this month for the recruitment to the post of police constable, the paper for which had been leaked," he said.

Gandhi had made this a telling example of the injustice being inflicted on the youngsters of Uttar Pradesh, who are already facing the highest unemployment in the last 45 years, he said.

"Rahul Gandhi's repeated emphasis on the farmers' issues also resonated loudly. He highlighted the Congress' guarantee to give legal status to MSP (Minimum Support Price) and to fix MSP based on the formula suggested by Bharat Ratna Dr MS Swaminathan. Both these demands have been consistently ignored by the prime minister," Ramesh said.

He said Gandhi also spoke forcefully on the need to carry out a socioeconomic caste census to ensure deeper and more meaningful social justice.

"The UP leg of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has given a thumbs-UP both to the Congress and to the INDIA janbandhan!" Ramesh added.

Congress and Samajwadi Party workers raised slogans in support of Yadav and Gandhi as the two leaders, accompanied by Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, waved at the crowd gathered for the yatra.

Attacking the government in his address on the occasion, Yadav said, "Today, farmers are standing against the government. The government is scared of the power of farmers. In the coming time, the BJP will be removed and the INDIA coalition government will give respect to farmers."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Minister Arjun Munda Calls For Suggestions Amid Centre, Farmers' Impasse

Amid a deadlock in talks between farmers and the central government, Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda appealed to the citizens to maintain peace and has invited suggestions.

Speaking to ANI, Agriculture Minister Munda said, "We should try to maintain peace in the country. We have always conversed and held talks in order to find a solution and will continue to do so. We welcome all the suggestions, too. I hope we will discuss the issue further. The Government of India is dedicated to the development of the agriculture sector.

The protesting farmers, whose demands include a legal guarantee for minimum support price, had earlier rejected the government's offer after the fourth round of talks.

The Centre however expressed readiness for the fifth round of talks with the farmers while urging them to find a solution through 'dialogue'.

"After the fourth round, the government is ready to discuss all the issues like MSP, crop diversification, stubble issue, FIR in the fifth round. I again invite the farmer leaders for discussion," Arjun Munda said while speaking to ANI on Wednesday.

"I appeal to them to maintain peace and we should find a solution through dialogue," he added.

He said that the farmers have not responded to the invite yet while appealing to move forward with the talks.

"No information has come yet (from farmers' side). We appeal that we should move forward for talks and present our stand. The government also wants to move forward and find a solution," the Union Minister said.

On February 19, the farmer leaders rejected the Centre's proposal on MSP purchase, saying "not in farmer's favour".

"After the discussion of both forums, it has been decided that if you analyse, there is nothing in the government's proposal. Our government imports palm oil worth Rs 1.75 crore from outside that also causes illness to general public. If this money is given to the farmers of the country to grow oil seed crops and MSP is announced, then that money can be used here. This is not in the favour of farmers. We reject it," farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Bilkis Bano Case Convict Gets 10-Day Parole To Attend Nephew's Wedding

The Gujarat High Court on Friday granted 10-day parole to Bilkis Bano case convict Ramesh Chandana to attend his nephew's wedding scheduled for March 5.

Chandana, who moved the High Court for parole last week, is the second convict in the case to be granted parole after all 11 convicts in the case surrendered at a jail in Godhra town on January 21 following a Supreme Court order.

They were convicted in a case of gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of seven of her family members during the 2002 Godhra riots.

"By this application, the convict-applicant prays for parole leave on the grounds of attending the marriage ceremony of the son of his sister. Taking into consideration the grounds urged in this application, the applicant-accused is ordered to be released on parole leave for a period of ten days," said Justice Divyesh Joshi in his order issued on Friday.

As per the Gujarat government's affidavit before the Supreme Court, Chandana had enjoyed parole for 1,198 days and a furlough of 378 days since his incarceration in 2008.

Earlier, Pradip Modhiya, another convict in the case, was released from the Godhra jail on parole from February 7 to 11 after the high court allowed his parole plea.

In August 2022, 11 convicts serving life sentences were granted premature release from jail after the state government accepted their remission applications in keeping with its 1992 policy, citing their 'good conduct' during imprisonment.

The Supreme Court on January 8 quashed the remission of sentence of all 11 convicts ruling that the state government lacked jurisdiction to grant premature release to the convicts, as the trial in the 2002 case was held in Maharashtra.

The Supreme Court then ordered the convicts, who were released from Godhra district jail on Independence Day in 2022 after being in prison for 14 years, to return to jail within two weeks.

They surrendered before the Godhra jail authorities on January 21.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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नौकरी के नाम पर रूस ले गए, वहां सेना में करा दिया भर्ती, यूक्रेन युद्ध में हुए जख्मी तो हुआ खुलासा

सिक्योरिटी गार्ड में नौकरी के बदले अच्छी सैलरी दिलाने का झांसा देकर भारत के विभिन्न हिस्सों से कई युवाओं को रूस भेजा गया है. खबर है कि इनमें से कम से कम 10 युवाओं को रूसी सैनिक बनाकर यूक्रेन के खिलाफ जंग लड़ने के लिए झोंक दिया गया है. अब अपनी जान जोखिम में डालकर ये लोग एक ऐसे देश के लिए युद्ध लड़ने के लिए मजबूर हैं, जिसके वो नागरिक भी नहीं हैं. इन युवाओं को न केवल नौकरी के नाम पर धोखा दिया गया, बल्कि जिस एजेंट ने उन्हें रूस भेजा था, उसने सभी से ₹​​3-3 लाख रुपये भी वसूल लिए.

माना जा रहा है कि ये लोग भाड़े के संगठन की ओर से, वैगनर ग्रुप के हिस्से के रूप में यूक्रेन से लड़ रहे हैं. भारत में अब इनके परिजनों ने विदेश मंत्रालय (एमईए) से उन्हें देश लौटने में मदद करने की अपील की है. इसी तरह की अपील एआईएमआईएम सांसद असदुद्दीन ओवैसी ने भी की है और कर्नाटक के एक मंत्री ने कहा है कि राज्य सरकार इन लोगों को वापस लाने के बारे में विदेश मंत्रालय से बात करेगी.

युवाओं के परिवार के सदस्यों ने गुरुवार को कहा कि उनमें से एक, हैदराबाद के सैयद इलियास ने रूस से एक वीडियो भेजकर अपने माता-पिता को बताया है कि उसे और कई अन्य लोगों को एजेंट द्वारा धोखा दिया गया था. वीडियो में इलियास ने कहा कि उन्होंने युद्ध लड़ने के लिए करार नहीं किया है और अपने परिवार से भारत वापस लाने का अनुरोध किया है.

एक युवक के पिता ने कहा कि कर्नाटक, तेलंगाना, उत्तर प्रदेश और अन्य राज्यों से कम से कम 10 से 12 भारतीयों को इस तरह से धोखा दिया गया है और उनमें से एक जो कश्मीर से है, वो पैर में गोली लगने से घायल भी हो गया है.

नईम के पिता ने कहा, "मेरा बेटा, अब्दुल नईम और उसके तीन दोस्त दुबई में काम करते थे. वे बाबा नामक एक एजेंट के संपर्क में आए, जिसने उन्हें रूस में अच्छे वेतन वाली सिक्योरिटी गार्ड की नौकरी देने का वादा किया और उन सभी से 3-3 लाख रुपये लिए. उन्हें फिर वापस भारत लाया गया और फिर 16 दिसंबर को रूस भेज दिया गया. उन्हें रूसी भाषा में एक समझौते पर हस्ताक्षर करने के लिए कहा गया था, लेकिन उन्होंने इनकार कर दिया. एजेंट ने उन्हें बताया कि ये सुरक्षित है."

परिजनों ने कहा, "कम से कम 10-12 युवकों को इस तरह से धोखा दिया गया है. मेरा बेटा और बाकी सभी लोग वापस आना चाहते हैं. हमें रूसी सरकार या उनकी सेना से कोई शिकायत नहीं है, हम उनसे हमारे बेटों को वापस भेजने का अनुरोध कर रहे हैं. मैं भारत सरकार से उनकी सुरक्षित वापसी सुनिश्चित करने की अपील करता हूं."

पिता ने कहा कि वो अपने बेटे के संपर्क में हैं, जिसे अब उसके तीन दोस्तों से अलग रखा जा रहा है. उन्होंने कहा, "उन्हें विमानों से दूर-दराज के स्थानों पर ले जाया जा रहा है. कश्मीर के एक व्यक्ति के पैर में गोली भी लगी है."

'विदेश मंत्रालय से बात करेंगे'
वहीं इस मुद्दे पर कर्नाटक के मंत्री प्रियांक खरगे ने कहा, "जिला प्रशासन ने राज्य सरकार और विदेश मंत्रालय को अलर्ट कर दिया है. हम विदेश मंत्रालय से बात करेंगे और युद्ध लड़ रहे युवाओं को वापस लाने की पूरी कोशिश करेंगे. न केवल कर्नाटक के पुरुषों को, बल्कि उन सभी को, जिन्हें धोखा दिया गया है."

एआईएमआईएम सांसद ओवैसी ने कहा कि उन्होंने विदेश मंत्री एस जयशंकर को पत्र लिखा है और युवकों को भारत वापस लाने में उनकी मदद मांगी है. सांसद ने कहा है कि तेलंगाना के तीन सहित कम से कम एक दर्जन भारतीयों को एजेंट ने धोखा दिया है और युद्ध में भाग लेने के लिए मजबूर किया है.

यूपी के कासगंज के एक युवा को भी हेल्पर की नौकरी के बहाने एजेंट रूस ले गया और आर्मी में भर्ती करा दिया. युवक बाबा ब्लॉक यूट्यूब चैनल के माध्यम से एजेंटों के सपंर्क में आया था. पिता और पुत्र ने एजेटों द्वारा मांगे तीन लाख रुपये के लिए बैंक से कर्ज भी लिया था. वो 11 नवंबर 2023 को कस्बा से दिल्ली-चेन्नई-साजदा होते हुए मॉस्को पहुंचा था. ये हैदराबाद और जम्मू-कश्मीर के एक अन्य युवक के साथ भेजा गया था.

युवक के पिता के अनुसार हेल्पर की नौकरी करने गए उनके बेटे से रसियन भाषा में एक अनुबंध कराया गया. फिर वहां से रेगिस्तान इलाके में मौजूद सेना के बेस कैम्प में भेजा गया. सेना में हथियारों की ट्रेनिंग देकर उन्हें यूक्रेन-रूस बोर्डर पर तैनात कर दिया गया. वहीं आनाकानी करने पर उनके पासपोर्ट और वीजा जब्त कर लिए गए. लगभग ढाई महीने बाद लड़ाई में घायल होने के बाद अस्पताल पहुंचे युवक ने अपने स्वजनों से सम्पर्क किया.

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Bus Attended Sexually Harasses Students During Excursion, Arrested: Cops

A 27-year-old attendant of a private bus was arrested on the charge of sexually harassing students during their excursion in a Mumbai suburb, police said on Wednesday.

The incident took place on Tuesday when students of a private school from Thane city had gone to a theme park in the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai in a private bus, they said.

Taking serious cognizance of the crime, the school management terminated the services of three teachers who accompanied the students to the excursion.

"During the bus journey, the accused touched some girls as well as boys inappropriately on the pretext of serving them snacks. Following this, some students raised an objection and later told their parents about it. After that, they approached the police and filed a complaint," J P Patil, an official of the Kapurbawdi police station, said.

A case was registered against the bus attendant under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 354 (assault or use of criminal force to any woman), 354A (sexual harassment) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said, adding he was later arrested.

Meanwhile, the school management has terminated the services of three teachers holding them responsible for the incident.

In an official release, the school management said, "An extremely unpleasant and unfortunate incident happened in the bus while students were returning from a one-day picnic. The school has expressed regret and required action has been taken." The school has cancelled all future excursions and initiated an internal inquiry through a committee comprising senior members of the management in respect of the alleged incident, said the release.

"During the pendency of the inquiry, the school has terminated the employment of three teachers who accompanied the students to the excursion," it added.

Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC)'s Education Officer Balasaheb Rakshe told PTI the civic body has received a memorandum in relation to the incident from a political party.

He said the TMC's education department has sought an explanation from the school management.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"We're Open": S Jaishankar On India Mediating To End Russia-Ukraine War

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has indicated that India was open to considering playing the role of a mediator to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict if approached but noted that New Delhi does not believe it should initiate anything on its own.

In an interview with German economic daily Handelsblatt, he also said that following the Ukraine conflict, India's energy suppliers in the Middle East gave priority to supplying petroleum products to Europe that paid higher prices and New Delhi did not have any option but to procure Russian crude oil.

Mr Jaishankar asserted that just as India does not expect Europe to have a view of China that is identical to New Delhi's, Europe should understand that India cannot have a view of Russia that is identical to the European one.

He said India has had a "stable" and "very friendly" relationship with Russia, and that Moscow never hurt New Delhi's interests.

"We, on the other hand, had a politically and militarily much more difficult relationship with China, for example," he said.

On India's continuing military cooperation with Russia notwithstanding the Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar said it is going on "because many Western countries have long preferred to supply Pakistan and not India." Jaishankar said India is "deeply convinced, and are publicly committed to bringing the conflict to an end".

"Everyone is suffering from this conflict. I don't know exactly how it will end, we're not deep enough into the process to know," he said.

Asked if that isn't a reason why India could be a mediator, Mr Jaishankar said: "Theoretically, yes. We have already helped with very specific issues." "When Turkey negotiated the corridor through the Black Sea, for example. And we were very supportive of the inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant," he said.

"Wherever we can help, we are happy to do so. We are open when we are approached. However, we do not believe that we should initiate anything in this direction on our own," he added.

Turkey played a key role in activating the corridor to transport grain from Ukraine to various world markets as Russia had blocked it following the escalation of its conflict with Ukraine.

Mr Jaishankar also strongly justified India's procurement of Russian crude oil.

"When the fighting started in Ukraine, Europe shifted a large part of its energy procurement to the Middle East -- until then the main supplier for India and other countries," Mr Jaishankar said.

"What should we have done? In many cases, our Middle-East suppliers gave priority to Europe because Europe paid higher prices. Either we would have had no energy because everything would have gone to them. Or we would have ended up paying a lot more because you were paying more," he said.

In a certain way, we stabilised the energy market that way, he added.

His response came when asked about criticism in Europe against India that its procurement of Russian crude oil is detrimental to the effectiveness of the Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

The external affairs minister argued that if no one had bought the crude oil from Russia and everyone had procured it from other countries, prices on the energy market would have shot up even further.

"Global inflation would have been much higher -- and that would have been a huge political issue in lower-income countries," he said.

"If Europe had wanted to maximize the damage at the time, it would have had to stop all economic relations with Russia completely. But it didn't," he said.

Mr Jaishankar said if Europe was so convinced and the principles were so important, why did it allow relations to end "gently"? "Why were there exceptions for pipeline gas, for individual countries and so on? That's what governments do, they manage politics with an eye on the consequences for their people," he said.

Asked if India would have liked support from Europe in the border conflict with China in 2020, Mr Jaishankar said "My point is: just as I do not expect Europe to have a view of China that is identical to mine, Europe should understand that I cannot have a view of Russia that is identical to the European one." "Let us accept that there are natural differences in relationships," he said.

To a question on whether the Indo-Russian engagement is a burden on the India-Europe ties, Mr Jaishankar said everyone conducts a relationship based on their past experiences.

"If I look at the history of India post-independence, Russia has never hurt our interests. The relations of powers like Europe, the US, China or Japan with Russia, they have all seen ups and downs," he said.

"We have had a stable and always very friendly relationship with Russia. And our relationship with Russia today is based on this experience. For others, things were different, and conflicts may have shaped the relationship," he said.

Asked about India recently agreeing on more arms cooperation with Russia and whether the country is still the most important arms supplier for New Delhi, Mr Jaishankar said: "In terms of inventory, yes, because many Western countries have long preferred to supply Pakistan and not India." "But that has changed in the past 10 or 15 years with the US, for example, and our new purchases have diversified with the US, Russia, France and Israel as the main suppliers," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Protesting Noida Farmers Warn Of Delhi March Again On Friday

The protesting farmers' groups in Noida and Greater Noida today said they will march to Delhi on February 23 to press for the resolution of their issues, including developed plots and increased compensation for their land acquired in the past.

Thousands of these villagers, including women, unsuccessfully tried to enter Delhi on February 8 amid tightened security along Noida's borders with the national capital, choking traffic movement in the city.

The protestors called off the march that day and were pacified after the police's assurance of a high-level meeting with representatives of local authorities and the Uttar Pradesh government.

Scores of farmers on Monday gathered outside the office of the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) in protest where the Bharatiya Kisan Parishad (BKP), a key local group, gave the call for February 23 march to Delhi.

"A meeting was held by government authorities on February 13 and it was decided that a high-power committee would be formed by February 18 to resolve the issues of farmers but nothing has happened so far," the BKP said in a statement.

"Now, three more days' time has been sought from the administrative officials, which the farmers have accepted and said if the solution is not found till then, the farmers will march towards Delhi on February 23," the farmers' group warned.

The farmers from over 200 villages in Noida and Greater Noida have been protesting since December 2023 against the local authorities and the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Dadri with demands for increased compensation and developed plots in lieu of their land acquired by them in the past.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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